He thought for a moment, then asked with a puzzled look:
"So what can Stral's stargazing reveal?"
"Future."
Xilǐ'er gave this answer almost without hesitation.
He continued slowly, explaining:
"It is said that Stral was able to predict the course of various future events by observing changes in the stars, and make the right response accordingly."
"Therefore, although he was surrounded by powerful enemies after he raised his army, he was able to escape from desperate situations every time, and eventually unified the southern part of the continent through several major victories, establishing his own country."
"Wow, awesome."
Xilǐ'er cleared his throat, giving a "this is nothing" look.
"It is said that Stral despises nobles, but his success is also inseparable from the help of some nobles. So after conquering the southern part of the continent, he chose a new way to govern his country."
He abolished all the fiefdoms of the nobles and became the sole lord of the entire country. He made others call him "Emperor," while the former nobles eventually became his "subjects" and ruled the country directly with him.
"At the same time, he would also promote some people from commoner backgrounds to new 'ministerial' families because they did a good job, thus maintaining a dynamic balance of rule by introducing fresh blood."
"Although noble families who have transformed into subjects can still hold power for generations, they are constantly being moved around by Stral and his descendants, and can never establish themselves in one place."
"However, there were advantages as well. The power to govern a vast country was also a great temptation, far beyond what a small noble territory could offer. So, the nobles eventually agreed to the plan, and the empire was thus established."
"I see..."
The Soul Returner is quite interested in the history of the game world, always wanting to compare it with reality to see which period of history the development team chose as the blueprint for his creation.
He thought for a moment and then asked:
"And then what happened?"
Xilǐ'er recalled for a moment and replied:
"The empire continued to function in this way. To be fair, Stral's system was indeed effective. The empire was much more stable internally than the kingdom, and there were no major disturbances until his death."
"After Stral's death, it seems that some former nobles launched a rebellion, threatening the new emperor to grant them land and restore their original titles."
"They succeeded?"
"Ha ha."
Xilǐ'er chuckled softly upon hearing this:
"The new emperor quelled the rebellion with almost no effort, and used this to subdue the ministers and secure his position."
"After that, the empire almost never experienced another large-scale rebellion."
"In this respect, the imperial system is indeed superior to that of the kingdoms. For nobles who hold Supreme power within their territories, the cost of launching a rebellion is far too low. In the decades I served Duke Frostblade alone, I participated in four suppression campaigns."
"This new emperor is quite formidable indeed."
The Soul Returner couldn't help but gasp – it seemed that no matter which world one was in, gaining merit in battle was the simplest way to gain a voice.
"However, there are other accounts regarding the new emperor's achievements."
Xilǐ'er suddenly spoke with a hint of deeper meaning.
"Oh?"
Hearing the questioning voice of the Soul Returner, Xilǐ'er made a gesture of looking up at the sky and said:
" Stral was an astrologer, and another theory is that he saw the future and made arrangements long before his death, which allowed the new emperor to quickly quell the rebellion."
[Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] frowned upon hearing this:
"He's so capable, why doesn't he just...?"
He had originally intended to say that if Stral was so capable, why didn't he simply nip the rebellion in the bud?
But upon closer reflection, he might actually have made a valid point in that arrangement.
Instead of suppressing the rebellion before it occurred, Stral prepared in advance to deal with it, ultimately passing on this military achievement, which was enough to secure his throne, to his son, helping him to quickly establish authority after ascending the throne.
It sounds a lot like in a MOBA game where you bring the enemy to low health and then give the kill to the carry.
It seems like there's no problem.
Can he really predict the future?
The Soul Returner grew increasingly interested in the southern empire and urged them on:
"And then what?"
Xilǐ'er, however, shrugged rather rudely and said:
"I don't know what happened after that, after all, I'm not a historian."
"I know these things only because the excellence of the first two emperors of the empire is common knowledge among the nobles of the entire continent."
Even the kingdoms that were hostile to them held the two in high esteem and frequently cited their deeds in diplomatic rhetoric to subtly disparage the current emperor of the empire.
"After that new emperor, what other interesting or memorable things happened in the empire?"
The Soul Returner asked, unwilling to give up.
"That's all. Actually, you asked the wrong person. Before the Demonic Tide, although the Empire and the Kingdom were hostile to each other, my Duke Frostblade's Territory was on the front line against the demons. So I only have some common knowledge about the Empire. If you want to know about the demons before the Demonic Tide, I can talk to you for three days and three nights."
"And if you are interested in the history of the Empire, you can take this opportunity to Tree Worship Church Theocracy. Before the Demonic Tide, those places were the front line of the battle between the Kingdom and the Empire."
"If we're lucky, we might find a lot of well-preserved documents."
"Okay, I've got it."
The Soul Returner nodded, then asked thoughtfully:
"By the way, do you know what the current emperor of the empire is called?"
Xilǐ'er thought for a moment and said:
I vaguely heard of him in the Eternal Domain; I think his name was ' Leo VII '.
"Alas, before I was sealed by the Amber Dragon, the emperor of the empire was not from the ' Leo ' lineage. Perhaps some changes occurred during those hundred years, which allowed the ' Leo ' branch to inherit the position."
Wow, is there going to be the much-anticipated "Great Rites Controversy" segment to watch?
[Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] Instantly, many possible plot lines came to mind. With a historical mindset rooted in the real world, he pondered:
"Is it possible that the Leo lineage is no longer actually of Stral's bloodline?"
"That's absolutely impossible."
Xilǐ'er's response was resolute:
"The Empire has two national treasures: the ' Starry Sky Holy Orb ' and the ' Radiance Scepter '. As long as one holds them, one can gain High Tier power, but the prerequisite is that the user must be a descendant of Stral."
"So the kind of scandal you mentioned is impossible; otherwise, it would definitely have come to light when the new emperor ascended the throne."
"Oh, that's a pity... no, that shows they're very cautious."